Violin Music and Shadows
by Petchricor
Summary: In one of his few moments in the mortal world Bill decides to play his violin. But as Shooting Star strings her tale of woe, he finds that he'll be here for more than relaxation


**I have this headcanon that Bill can play the violin. So, here you go. Enjoy~  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Bill leaned up against a rock, watching the flames of his small campfire flicker this way and that, making the light bounce all around the ground and the trees, playing tricks with the water of the lake beside him. He was in his human form of course, he couldn't be in the mortal world without it. His yellow jacket lay across another rock along with his bow tie and top hat, which he had taken off since he didn't need to make any appearances. Bill let out a relaxed sigh and stretched out a bit, letting his hands rest on his stomach while he leaned his head back against the rock to look up at the stars, which were very bright and many in number. He liked the nights when he was able to leave the dreamscape and come to the mortal world, it was peaceful without all the chatter of people's dreams. In fact, it was almost a little too quite for his taste.<p>

Bill sat up straight, lifting his back away from the rock, and looked over at the case that lay on the ground beside him. He opened it up and pulled the violin out, the only thing that he had kept from those few years he spent as a human, all those centuries ago. Bill stood up a bit to sit down on the rock and lifted the violin, plucking the strings a moment before pulling the bow out. He laid it gently against the strings and began to play a slow tune. He listened as the music carried through the forest and over the lake, wondering who could hear it and who might be stopping to listen, not that it mattered of course. He loved his music all the same, whether everyone else did or not. Of all the things in the mortal world, Bill liked music the best. There were many different ways to use it, play it and it expressed emotions that were too complicated for words. It was lovely. The violin let out one last high note and Bill let out a soft sigh, listening to the silence for a moment before he stood up and looked back over the the violin on his shoulder in thought.

A grin spread across Bill's face and he put the bow back against the strings. He tapped his foot four times to a beat before playing another tune, a more upbeat one. Fiddling, as the name was given to it by the humans over the years. Bill chuckled at the thought and started to dance to the music he was playing, never missing a beat as he did. Hundreds of years of practice made something like this as easy as walking. The music seemed to carry him as he danced around the flames, making him feel like it was floating as his feet moved around to the beat, his elbows swaying with the rhythm. Bill heard a noise and spun around to turn towards it without stopping his playing, seeing two child-like eyes peering back at him from behind a log. They jumped a bit when they noticed Bill was looking at him and the demon laughed, beckoning them over with a nod before he continued to dance. He heard them hop over the log and he turned back around, his grin widening when he saw none other than Shooting Star smiling at him in her pajamas.

Bill nodded to her again encouragingly as he danced around. She giggled and started to dance too, spinning around with Bill to the lovely music. Bill chuckled as they danced around the fire, stopping to do a little jig with his feet that had Shooting Star laughing loudly in amusement at the funny movements of his feet. Bill chuckled and started to spin again, dancing around. Shooting Star laughed and tried to do her own little jig, though her feet got tangled around each other and she fell. Bill paused in his dancing a moment and smiled when Shooting Star picked herself back up with a grin. Bill chuckled and played the last few notes of the song, smiling when she started to applaud him. Bill bowed and Shooting Star giggled a bit, watching him as he put the violin away.

"You're really good," she complimented and Bill smiled his thanks, knowing that she'd recognize his voice if he spoke. She looked around her a moment in thought, walking along idly. As she did Bill found himself wondering why she was outside this late, and still in her pajamas as well. Shooting Star turned and stopped when she saw Bill's quizzical look. She looked down at herself and went a bit red, looking away nervously. "I was out for a walk."

"In your PJ's?" Bill asked, talking quietly and making his voice lower so she didn't know who it was. She sighed and sat on a rock, making Bill even more curious. He walked over to her and sat on the ground across from her. "You look like someone with stuff on her mind." She nodded and Bill gestured for her to talk, getting a sigh in return.

"I had a fight with my brother," she mumbled. Bill nodded in understanding and looked up at her, wondering if she'd go on. "He has this book and it's very important to him, but lately he's become obsessed with studying it and stuff. I hid it so that he would get some sleep tonight and he got really angry at me. We fought and...I left." Bill nodded again with a sympathetic smile, but it faded when he realized that Shooting Star had started to shed tears. "He's just been so obsessed and I don't understand it, over the past few days he's been so distant, like something is wrong." Bill opened his mouth, hoping to maybe assure her that it was a phase or something, but her next words caught him off guard. "He tried to throw me out the window."

"What?" Bill stuttered out. That wasn't like Dipper at all, that boy loved his sister to pieces. "That's bad." Shooting Star just nodded and crossed her legs, staring at the ground. Bill sighed and stood up, going over to his jacket and things. Shooting Star watched him as he put them on, straightening his eye patch, which had started to come off from all that dancing. "Show me." She started at him for a long moment, not sure how to respond. "I'm good at this stuff, I wanna check it-" _FOOM!_ A bright, blue light appeared out of nowhere with a loud noise, and it was coming from where the Mystery Shack was positioned. "-out."

Shooting Star didn't hesitate to start running to the shack. Bill left his violin there and ran after her, having the sense that something big was happening. Something was going down in his town without his consent and he wasn't happy about it. Bill grabbed Shooting Star mid-run and put her on his back. She yelped in surprise and hung on tight as he ran through the woods, leaping over fallen trees and rocks and roots, all hidden in the dark but for an all-seeing demon they were easy to spot. Bill came to a halt at the edge of the forest and his eyes widened when he saw Pine Tree up in the air, a shadow demon laughing his head off at the sight as he sucked the knowledge out of both him and the book, poisoning him. And, of course, ruining Bill's plan in the process.

"Put him down!" Fez shouted from where he stood, but couldn't get close to the demon, who threw him back with ease if he tried. Bill put Shooting Star on the ground and put a hand out when she tried to run passed him. She looked up at him and her eyes widened as she saw his suit and eye start to go red, backing up when she saw the fury in his expression. He dared mess with his town and his plan? Oh, he would get it now. Bill walked over to the demon, his entire suit now red and his eye glowing brightly in the night.

"CERBERUS!" Bill screamed and the demon went completely still, his spell coming to a halt. "How DARE you come to my domain and mess with its citizens! Put down the boy!" Dipper fell from the sky and to the ground, where his great uncle caught him, the book hitting the ground with a thud. Bill walked closer to the demon, who slowly turned around to face him. Bill fiddled with the shadow tie that the demon was wearing, singling him out from the other minions as a right-hand man. "Now, you go back and tell your master that if he ever sends one of his minions to my domain again-" Bill yanked forward on the tie so hard it would have broken a mortal's neck and the demon cried out in pain, "I WILL CRUSH HIS PUNY KINGDOM!" He shoved him back so that he fell to the ground. "Do I make myself quite clear?"

"Y-yes Mr. Cipher, crystal clear," the Cerberus clan-member stuttered as he got to his feet. Bill snarled and the demon took his leave, knowing that he had made Bill angry enough by now. Once he was gone Bill took a deep breath, starting to become yellow again. He looked over to see Shooting Star talking to Fez about Pine Tree, what had happened and whatnot. And that's when Bill turned on his heel and took his leave.

AΩ

Back at the campsite Bill put his violin away in its case and shut it tight. Stretching out and taking a look at the stars for a moment before he snapped his fingers, putting out his fire so that only ashes and smoke remained. It was going to be awhile before he could come back and have a quiet moment like this, but oh well, that was his life and he chose it. Bill shrugged and bent down to grab the case, raising his head at the sound of rustling leaves.

"Wait!" Bill turned to look as Shooting Star lept over the log, carrying something with her that was hard to see in the darkness. Bill turned to face her, head tilted. "Bill?" She sounded unsure. Bill smiled weakly and nodded in confirmation. "Um, thank you." She held something out and Bill took it, lighting a blue fire mid-air to see it. In his hand he held a small box with a white bow-tie that had a golden triangle pin in the middle. He looked up at her to find that she was already leaving. He let her go. It would be better that way. Bill stood and took his bow-tie off, replacing it with the white one. He grinned.

"Perfect."

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading, please review, and have a bow chicka bow wow day!<strong>

**Petchricor, QotG, signing off ;)**


End file.
